[extropy-chat] Meeting Doctor Doom

[Samantha Atkins]

On Apr 3, 2006, at 11:21 PM, Neil H. wrote:

> On 4/3/06, spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
> > bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Joseph Bloch
> > Subject: [extropy-chat] Meeting Doctor Doom
> >
> > http://www.sas.org/tcs/weeklyIssues_2006/2006-04-07/feature1p/ 
> index.html
> >
> > Apparently, Dr. Pianka advocates the elimination of 90% of the  
> Earth's
> > human population because we are overtaxing the planet's natural  
> resources.
>
> Joseph, I do not believe the site is correct because of the
> following comment:
>
> "But there was a gravely disturbing side to that otherwise  
> scientifically
> significant meeting, for I watched in amazement as a few hundred  
> members of
> the Texas Academy of Science rose to their feet and gave a standing  
> ovation
> to a speech that enthusiastically advocated the elimination of 90  
> percent of
> Earth's population by airborne Ebola."
>
>
> I confidently state that a few hundred members of the TAS would not
> encourage such a horrifying notion.  I am not defending Pianka, but
> something is amiss here.
>
>
> This part of the wikipedia article on Pianka may be of interest:
>
>   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Pianka
>
> "It is alleged by Forrest Mims that, while accepting the Texas  
> Academy of Sciences Distinguished Scientist of the Year award in  
> 2006, Pianka "endorsed the elimination of 90 percent of the human  
> population" through a disease such as an airborne strain of the  
> ebola virus. [1] Pianka claims that Mims misunderstood his  
> argument; however, Mims' characterization of the lecture seems to  
> have been confirmed by a supporter of Pianka.[2]"
>
>
> Plus, it seems that it would be rather peculiar for somebody  
> receiving a "Distinguished Scientist of the Year" award from a  
> scientific organization to -not- get a standing ovation after their  
> acceptance speech, even if part of that speech was disagreeable.
>

Disagreeable?  If this was really advocated in the speech the  
audience should have left immediately if they weren't willing to grab  
this mass-murder advocate and tar and feather him on the spot.   I  
hope that humanity has not sunk to a state where we automatically  
applaud any claim of distinction without even paying attention to  
what the recipient says.  I also hope that advocating mass murder is  
a hell of a lot more objectionable than merely "disagreeable".

- samantha



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